Kydex holsters are a dime a dozen so when I find a company that raises the bar with what I'm calling the most comfortable one I've ever worn; it is a big deal. The company is called Alpha Concealment Systems and they currently have 5 models of kydex holsters to choose from, which cover a wide number of gun manufacturers. I tested out their newest holster, dubbed ‘The Phoenix.'

The Phoenix:

The Phoenix is a kydex inside the waistband (IWB) holster that is made for guns without a mounted light. If you do have a light mounted on your gun, they have you covered with one that is called ‘The Gryphon.'

The Phoenix is made up of one piece of kydex, two belt clips, and a wing. The two belt clips are designed to add more stability to the holster and keep it from shifting. The wing, on other hand, aids in concealability by pressing the pistol grip toward the wearer's body, rather than away from it, where it can show underneath your clothing.

The Phoenix can be ordered to accommodate an optic, extended slide stop, suppressor, sights, etc., and can be ordered with different sized belt loops. There are many colors to choose from for all of Alpha Concealment's holsters, including The Phoenix.

Alpha Concealment Systems ‘Phoenix' Holster.

Wearing The Phoenix:

I test, evaluate, and present a lot of holster reviews to you, and have gone through many on my own that I have not shown to you. Without speaking in hyperbole, this is the most comfortable and concealable kydex holster I have ever worn for appendix inside the waistband carry (AIWB). I believe that the main reason why this is such a comfortable holster when compared to many others, is because it has two belt clips, as opposed to one.

This may not seem like a significant detail, but I believe this secures it to my belt in such a way that once I get it set comfortably, it doesn't move. There is no shifting or adjusting whatsoever. I absolutely love this feature, and I think it has moved me away from single clip holsters for that reason.

The wing of the Phoenix Holster helps to reduce ‘printing'

I believe this holster is so concealable because of the wing that is attached to the side of the holster. This wing device is great for AIWB and uses leverage to push on the back side of the belt, which in turn pushes the butt of the gun against the wearer's body. This really does make a big difference in concealability. I can easily conceal my Glock 27 with an extended magazine base while wearing just a t-shirt.

Check out my video review, here:

I found that it took a while to get used to wearing a holster with a wing. I noticed that I couldn't wear my belt as tight as I did without it, but even with loosening my belt ever so slightly, my holster and gun were very secure. Once I made this slight adjustment I found the holster to be super comfortable and ultra concealable.

The trusted Phoenix EDC holster

The holster is high quality and all the kydex was cut nicely with polished, smooth edges. The included hardware is great and does not feel cheap, and I liked the fact that my holster was customized for my specific gun. Not only was it molded to my model, like every other kydex holster, but Alpha Concealment made sure to ask if I wanted it cut for an optic.

I told them I had an extended slide stop, so they made sure to adjust for this. I wanted this holster to have a sweat shield, which extends the kydex up to protect the gun from your body and they made that happen for me. I also wanted something a little different from all my other black holsters, so I got a sweet, deep red color which looks killer.

The dual clips of the Phoenix Holster keeps the holster from moving

They have about a one month turnaround time, which isn't terribly long when you consider most holster companies take around 3-4 weeks to get you your holster. MSRP is set at a competitive $70.

Overall the customer service was awesome, and the product surpassed my expectations. It has become my go to everyday kydex holster for AIWB because of its comfort and superior concealability.

If you have questions about AIWB carry with the wing, and if it really makes a difference shoot me some comments below, or check out all the holsters we continue to evaluate for you. Stay safe!

About Matthew Maruster

Matthew Maruster currently lives in Columbus, Ohio. Matthew is a Marine Corps Infantry Staff Sergeant and served as a Platoon Sergeant during combat in Iraq. After his military service, he served as a Police Officer in San Diego County. He was a lead marksmanship instructor in the Marine Corps. As well as an assistant range master, and crisis negotiator at his former police department. Matthew is an NRA certified pistol instructor, Range Safety Officer, Triple Guardian Pistol Instructor and has over 18 years of professional firearms instruction and training. Matthew has a Bachelors Degree in Criminal Justice from National University.
Matthew is the producer of the Concealed Carry Podcast and coordinator for the Concealed Carry National Instructor Network. He is the founder and lead firearms instructor for at MJ Maruster Defense. Matthew would love to hear from you.
Send him an email.

I noticed that you wear it with a clip on either side of your belt buckle. This would seem difficult to do with most belts. Also, it would seem to create a lot of fuss when using the men’s room stall. How do you accommodate that?

Hi Karl, Good observation! I have a couple different belts I wear. The ones with the cobra buckles like the one I’m wearing in the video happen to be a perfect fit in between the clips. My leather belts have bigger buckles and they do not fit in between. It’s not so much of an issue, I just rotate my belt buckle to about 10 or 2 o’clock position.

For me, carrying in the appendix position does require me to take the holster off the belt if I am going to undo my belt (even when I rotate the buckle to the side.) It isn’t too much of a burden though.

Hey Tom. This holster seriously is my favorite AIWB holster. I wear this about %90 of the time. The only time I use a different holster is if I need to carry differently like OWB or if I’m wearing sweats or something where I don’t have a belt.

The wing devise (sometimes referred to as a “Claw” is very interesting. Would it make any difference to the function of the wing devise as regards threading on your belt onto your waist- i.e. Inserting the tip of the belt into the Left Side of your waist as opposed to inserting your belt into the Right Side of ones waist? I’m supposing it would not make a difference – but you have the experience first hand to know for sure. Thank you in advance for your reply.

Hi Ron, thanks for the question. Yes the wing/claw gadget makes a big difference. Like you, I suspected the direction of the belt wouldn’t make a difference, but it was a good question worth testing. I can tell you after trying it, that the direction of the belt has no impact on the effectiveness of the claw/wing. As long as the device is pressing against the back side of the belt, it will cant the butt of the gun back toward the body. Hope this helps. 🙂

Thank you sincerely for you quick and to the point answer….You have relieved me from doing something that would detract from a superior-rated product….and I greatly appreciate your caliber of person. I will watch/listen to you with great interest.

Hi Matthew, thanks for this review. I’m looking to get their Gryphon holster but figure this question would apply to the Phoenix: have you tried converting it to a canted IWB setup? That is, moving one of the clips down a notch to facilitate a 3 – 5 o’clock carry? I’ve been told it’s possible, but whether it’s practical for IWB is my question.

Yes, you definitely could get a forward cant by repositioning the clips. Personally, I have difficulty carrying IWB at 3 o’clock with all Kydex. I can manage it with a hybrid style holster, but not with all Kydex. OWN at 3 o’clock is easy though. Not to dissuade you at all, just to explain that I adjusted mine to try it out so I could answer your question, but I guess my hips are too boney to let me carry comfortably this way lol. Hope it helps.

Quite possibly on of the worst customer service experiences. I ordered a holster for a “light bearing” firearm. (XDs with a Crimson Trace 469) I wrote the light model # into the notes of the order. Before the order/build was initiated, I was contacted by email stating they could not complete without me incurring additional cost.

I expressed my disappointment, (as I like their products), and requested a refund. NOPE! No refund on custom orders. Even though the order wasn’t processed yet…lol. If you need my $63 dollars that bad…consider it a donation. I’ll voice my experience everywhere I can.